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17
www.mn.catholic.org.au | Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle |
WELL, WINTER IS most certainly upon
us with these wonderful, crisp, cold
mornings. I love to start the day with a
peeled and quartered orange, followed
by fresh hot porridge with strawberries,
prunes and dried cranberries, a drizzle of
honey and a splash of milk; a wonderfully
healthy hot breakfast.
Winter is a great time for hot desserts,
and this month I would like to share with
you my recipe for Sticky Fig and Chocolate
Puddings with Crème Anglaise. These
delicious little puddings are an all-time
favourite with anyone who has ever
tried them.
Makes 6 small puddings.
Use 150 ml soufflé moulds or similar.
INGREDIENTS
Crème Anglaise
250 ml milk
1/2 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
45 g castor sugar
Puddings
240 g dried figs, chopped
300 ml water
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
80 g unsalted butter
150 g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly whisked
150 g self-raising flour, sieved
35 g Dutch cocoa, sieved
METHOD
To make the crème anglaise: Place the
milk and vanilla bean into a saucepan.
Slowly bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a
bowl, cream the egg yolks and sugar until
white. Pour the hot milk into the egg yolk
and sugar mixture and stir thoroughly. Pour
back into the saucepan and cook gently,
stirring, over low heat until the mixture
coats the back of a wooden spoon; about
7 minutes. Pour crème anglaise into a
gravy boat and place in the fridge to cool.
To make the puddings: Place figs and
water into a small pan and slowly bring
to the boil. Remove from heat and stir
through the bicarbonate of soda (the
mixture will foam up slightly).
Set aside for 10 minutes.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter,
vanilla and sugar together until white and
fluffy. Add whisked eggs and mix well.
Add sieved flour and cocoa, and stir.
Fold figs through the mixture gently
until combined.
Pour pudding mixture into well-greased
moulds. Cover with foil and place in a
steamer (or a casserole dish or large pot;
something that can be covered with a lid).
Add boiling water so that it comes halfway
up the sides of the moulds. Place steamer
on stove top and simmer for 20 minutes.
Use a wooden skewer to check if the
puddings are cooked through.
Serve puddings hot with cold crème
anglaise poured over the top.
TIPS
Puddings and crème anglaise can be
made up to two days in advance, and
the puddings simply reheated in the
microwave.
Keep the egg whites to make a pavlova.
They can be frozen.
Alternatives to crème anglaise are custard,
double cream, brandy crème or good old
vanilla ice-cream.
Asian metal or bamboo steamers are a
great item to have in your kitchen.
UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE student
Elroy Aguiar, 24, is one of 31
locals travelling to Madrid this month
to participate in World Youth Day (WYD)
2011. Some half a million young people
are making the journey to Spain.
Critical to Roy's decision to undertake
this pilgrimage was his experience of
World Youth Day 2008, beginning with
the Journey of the Cross and Icon and
Days in the Diocese, and culminating in
a week of fellowship and fun, lectures
and worship in Sydney.
"One of my lasting memories will be
the Mass we celebrated during Days
in the Diocese at St Mary's High
School Gateshead. The playground was
packed with pilgrims and parishioners.
There was such a great atmosphere,
and Mass was followed by a shared
meal and dances and songs from the
overseas visitors. I'm sure no one
who was there will ever forget that
celebration," says Roy.
"Of course, the Papal Mass on the
last day of WYD Week was also a
highlight. Standing amongst 400,000
pilgrims was an amazing feeling. To
see so many young people proclaiming
their faith was a real sign of hope in
today's increasingly secular world.
These experiences truly made me
appreciate both the local community
(parish, region, diocese) and the
global community."
Roy's sense of belonging to his parish
of MacKillop was enhanced by the
parishioners' support, prayerfully and
financially, of its three pilgrims: Roy,
Ryan Gato and James Elliot.
Many of the local pilgrims are
teachers, who will not only be able
to share their experience with their
students but also encourage them to
consider participating in the next World
Youth Day.
Roy, whose family's origins are Indian,
looks forward to immersing himself
in the Spanish way of life, especially
in terms of faith. "I feel that learning
about how other cultures practise their
Catholic faith will enhance my own. I
also expect the pilgrimage to Madrid to
be a journey of spiritual renewal. I think
that getting away from the demands
of life (Roy is pursuing a doctorate in
diabetes prevention) will allow me to
focus on where I am in my faith journey
and where I am being called."
As our photograph shows, Roy is a
guitarist and he anticipates jamming
with other musicians "during Masses
in Days in the Diocese, on long bus
trips with our tour group, or random
outbursts of song on the streets
of Spain".
We wish all the pilgrims a safe, happy
and rewarding WYD experience.
Godspeed.
Fig
Sticky &
gg
Puddings
Chocolate
ar
a
ct
Chef BARTHOLOMEW CONNORS
TASTE
NEWS
By TRACEY EDSTEIN
Madrid 2011
Counting down to